BL 12 inch Mk VIII naval gun
(35.43 calibres) |width= |height= |crew= |cartridge= |caliber= |action= |rate= |velocity= 850 lb shell, with 174 lb cordite propellant. ''Text Book of Gunnery 1902, Table XII page 336 |range= |max_range= |feed= |sights= |breech= |recoil= |carriage= |elevation= |traverse= }} The 'BL 12 inch naval gun Mark VIII'Mark VIII = Mark 8. Britain used Roman numerals to denote marks (models, abbreviated Mk) of ordnance until after World War II. Hence this was the 8th model of British 12-inch breech-loading naval guns, was one of the first large British rifled breech-loading naval guns designed for the higher pressures generated by the new cordite propellant of the 1890s, and Britain's first large wire-wound gun. It represented a major advance compared to previous British guns. Naval service The gun was installed on the ''Majestic''-class battleships from 1895 and on the ''Canopus''-class battleships from 1899. During World War I guns removed from the obsolete Majestic class were mounted in ''Lord Clive''-class monitors for shore bombardment. Land service From 1921 to 1926 two guns from the decommissioned battleship [[HMS Illustrious (1896)|HMS Illustrious]] were in service in the Tyne Turrets for coast defence, north and south of the mouth of the River Tyne in the northeast of England. Problems in service During bombardment service when mounted in the Lord Clive-class monitors deposition of copper from the projectile driving bands needed frequent removal. However, problems with the inner liners were more serious. The continual drag of the driving bands caused the liner to be gradually stretched forward. The resulting protrusion at the muzzle could simply be cut off, but in addition the liner began to form a ridge in the barrel near the shoulders of the outer ‘A’ tube, where the inner ‘A’ tube was keyed to the outer. The ridge accumulated copper from the driving bands, which could give sufficient retardation to the projectile to start the fuze, which resulted in a premature detonation either within the bore, or soon after leaving the muzzle. This happened several times during bombardment service, including an occasion when Lord Clive showered pieces of shell over the French destroyer ''Aventurier''. The ‘steel choke’ restriction could be temporarily removed by rubbing down with an emery-covered block pulled back and forth in the bore, but the only permanent cure was to fit new guns with a modified design of liner, which had a different arrangement of internal shoulders. Images File:HMS Hannibal Y turret IWM Q 039023.jpg|Y turret (aft) guns of [[HMS Hannibal (1896)|HMS Hannibal]]. File:HMS_Ocean_(Canopus-class_battleship)_forward_guns.jpg|Forward guns of [[HMS Ocean (1898)|HMS Ocean]] File:HMS Canopus bombarding Turkish forts March 1915.jpg|[[HMS Canopus (1897)|HMS Canopus]] bombarding Turkish forts, Dardanelles March 1915. Photo by Ernest Brooks. File:HMS Illustrious (1896) firing guns.jpg|The battleship [[HMS Illustrious (1896)|HMS Illustrious]] fires her Mark VIII guns during gunnery practice. File:HMS Illustrious (1896) 12-inch gun.jpg|The starboard Mark VIII gun in one of the turrets aboard the battleship [[HMS Illustrious (1896)|HMS Illustrious]]. The gun s breech is open. File:HMS Caesar (1896) 12-inch gun.jpg|The starboard Mark VIII gun in one of the turrets aboard the British battleship [[HMS Caesar (1896)|HMS Caesar]]. The gun s breech is closed. See also * List of naval guns Notes References Bibliography * [http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/u?/p4013coll11,230 Text Book of Gunnery], 1902. London: Printed for His Majesty's Stationery Office, by Harrison and Sons, St. Martin's Lane * I. V. Hogg & L. F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914–1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972. * Tony DiGiulian, British 12"/35 (30.5 cm) Mark VIII External links Category:Naval guns of the United Kingdom Category:305 mm artillery Category:Coastal artillery Category:Victorian-era weapons of the United Kingdom Category:World War I naval weapons of the United Kingdom